TAIWAN NEXT TO BOTTOM IN OECD HOLIDAY RANKING|台勞工休假少 與OECD會員國相比倒數第二

Protesters have taken to the streets of Taiwan demanding the government to keep the seven days of national holiday for workers. Should the government decide to cut the holidays, for a person who worked at the same company for over a year, the annual leave plus national holidays will only be 19 days per year for that person. Comparing to the 35 OECD member countries, Taiwan would be placed second to last, just above Mexico. Chen Yu-guang, took a corporate expat assignment in Holland for over three years. While he was working there, he was impressed by how Europeans were able to find a suitable balance between work and life. They believe it's important to spend quality family time and are able to enjoy more than a month's worth of annual leave each year, which is hard to imagine for people working in Taiwan. ==CHEN YU-GUANG, Tech company employee== My neighbors are Dutch, and the husband would always spend his annual leave at home with the kids. My wife always wonders how come the husband gets to stay at home for a whole month. I think it's become a habit for them, since they have a long break each year, they don't have the mindset that they must take this opportunity and have fun or travel somewhere. Aside from Holland, Germany, England, Denmark and Spain, all laborers are guaranteed a month of annual leave per year. They believe a little rest goes a long way. Looking back at Taiwan, if the bill passes and Taiwanese laborers lose the 7 days of national Holiday, meaning that a person that has worked in the same company for over a year, his or her annual leave plus national holidays will only be 19 days per year. Korea has 30 days, Japan has 26, Spain has 42, Austria has 43. Comparing to the 35 OECD member countries, Taiwan would be placed second to last, just above Mexico. However, some scholars argued that after 10 years of work, one can receive up to 30 days of annual leave. ==CHIU JUN-YAN, Department of Law Professor at Chinese Culture University== The Labor Standards Act Article 38, stated how many days of annual leave you receive, however, it does not regulate how you use those days off. The enforcement rule states that annual leave dates can be discussed between both parties, with the employers' approval. Chen Yu-guang believes if the labor groups, capital and the government work together on this issue, perhaps it's possible for laborers to be able to enjoy at least a month of annual leave per year in Taiwan. ==CHEN YU-GUANG, Tech company employee== The capital has to improve the system, and the government needs to step up and enforce it. If the employer's output value is the same, so what if laborers want to have a month of annual leave. It needs a certain amount of determination from everyone to change this situation. Chen Yu-guang was proud to say, after working with people from all over the world, he found that Taiwanese employees are not only hard workers and are also very responsible. However, with the current working environment, system and labor laws in Taiwan, laborers failed to be able to find a balance between work and life. If there's a way improve the system, allow people to work smart, instead of work hard, maybe there's a way to end the culture of overwork in Taiwan. TRANSLATED BY：STELLA TU 曾被公司外派荷蘭開拓品牌業務三年多的陳宇光，回到台灣二年多了，在歐洲的工作經驗，讓他感觸最深的是，當地人工作與生活大多有很好的平衡，而且非常的重視家庭生活，他們每年都有長達一個月以上的長假，也是在台灣工作時很難想像的。 ==科技公司員工 陳宇光== 我們隔壁鄰居 有很多荷蘭的先生 他們放一個月的長假 他們就是在家陪小孩 所以我老婆會常看到 為什麼她先生這個月都在家裡 因為他們是習慣性的 每年都會有這樣的長假 所以他們不會像我們 一定要把自己搞得精疲力盡 一定要去哪裡玩 不只荷蘭，其實在德國、英國、荷蘭、丹麥、西班牙等國，勞工不論資歷深淺，一年最少有一個月的休假，因為他們相信，休假是為了走更長遠的路，相較於台灣，勞工的七天國定假如果被刪除，工作滿一年的勞工，年假加上國定假，將只剩19天，相較於韓國的30天、日本的26天，西班牙的42天、奧地利的43天，在OECD的35個國家裡面，只贏墨西哥，排名世界倒數第二。 有學者也指出，雖然台灣勞工工作滿10年後，14天的年假，每年可以再加一天，最多可以加到30天，但常是看得到不一定休得到。 ==文化大學法律學系教授 邱駿彥== 因為在勞動基準法第38條 告訴勞工說 你有多少特別休假 但是如何休特別休假 我們並沒有去規定 施行細則24條裡面 特別休假日期 由勞資雙方協商排定 雇主同意就好 不同意就沒有 陳宇光認為，政府勞方資方，三方如果共同努力面對，或許台灣勞工每年擁有一個月以上的長假，也不是夢。 ==科技公司員工 陳宇光== 資方也要改善他的制度 政府要很有魄力的出來 放一個月的長假 難道會怎麼樣嗎 那勞方要有 我如果敢放一個月的假 我有沒有辦法提供相對的產值 大家都要有相當的決心 這件事才會改變 在歐洲工作，陳宇光有些自豪的說，和世界各國的員工相較，台灣員工認真、盡責，CP值高，但回到國內，可能是環境、制度使然，台灣勞工在生活和工作很難妥善拿捏，台灣企業也面臨轉型困境，加上政府產業政策不夠明確，使得台灣難以洗脫過勞之島惡名。 記者 陳姝君 彭耀祖 報導